1. Field of Art
The present invention generally relates to the field of media streaming, and more specifically, to media streaming enhancements which include metadata.
2. Description of the Related Art
The vertical blanking interval (or VBI) is used in nearly all televisions and computer monitors, which require a small amount of time for the scanning circuitry to return to the top of the screen after completing scanning of the last line at the bottom. Video signal standards recognize this fact by inserting a number of “blank” lines at the beginning of each new picture. These blank lines make up the “vertical blanking interval”.
Over time, the vertical blanking interval has been a useful mechanism for transmission of data sent along with transmitted video. For example, closed captioning information is inserted into the VBI. In conventional analog television signals, closed captioning are subtitles for the hearing impaired individuals and environments that are transmitted as digital data within the VBI. Specifically, text corresponding to spoken word is typed out on the screen as voice is spoken or sound is made relative to the video displayed. Closed captioning is sometimes is referred to as “line 21 captioning” because the data is carried in line 21 of the VBI. As digital television standards are emerging, e.g., high-definition television (HDTV), closed captioning continues to remain. Newer standards for transmitting such information include EI-708 along with line 21 captioning.
More recently, in addition to closed captioning, the non-viewable VBI is being used to carry other information. For example, Internet designers are now using it to transmit unidirectional digital information from Web sites to Web clients. The model for sending information over VBI is often called “data broadcasting”. The technique is a one-way transmission from the station to users, just like television. Stations broadcast popular information such as stock quotes, sports news, and the like.
Unlike conventional Internet connected systems, users in the data broadcasting configuration did not interact with a Web server. Nevertheless, the technique is useful for delivering specific content, particularly in bulk transmission applications. For example, rather than to each subscriber individually over the Internet, the information is broadcast at periodic intervals to a special browser, which shows the latest updates. Users could choose to tune into the broadcast and select only the news items of interest to them.
In addition, standards such as RFC 2728 (Transmission of IP over Vertical Blanking Interval of a Television Signal, November 1999) describe a method for broadcasting Internet protocol (IP) data using the VBI. This standards proposal included a description for compressing IP headers on unidirectional networks, a framing protocol identical to SLIP, a forward error-correction scheme, and the NABTS (North American Basic Teletext Standard) byte structures.
While standards for broadcasting data over the VBI have evolved, they continue to have limited applicability for users as noted above. For example, closed captioning and other push type data (e.g., stock quotes, weather, etc.) are structured for mass audiences. They are not customizable at level specific to the user. Hence, the user fails to attain personalization that, if available, may allow for a richer experience relative to the video transmission. Further, there is no return loop from the user back to a server associated with the VBI data broadcast to provide the user with a mechanism for customization or instructions for furtherance of their experience.
While television signals today are primarily of a broadcast variety, there is migration to streaming video of television signals. Streaming includes a technique to transfer data so that it can be processed as a steady and continuous stream. Streaming technologies are becoming increasingly important with the proliferation of the Internet because most users do not have fast enough access to download large multimedia files quickly. With streaming, the client browser or plug-in can start displaying the data before the entire file has been transmitted.
With regard to the Internet, streaming involves sending video from a server to a client over a network in packets. At the receiving end, the packets are reassembled to play the video as it arrives. The video file is never actually downloaded since the packets are discarded after they have been decoded and viewed. Because the timing of packet arrival is so important, streaming servers use the Realtime Transport Protocol (RTP) instead of the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) typically used for communicating web content.
Streaming video offers an opportunity to include general video metadata, but the size and format of this video metadata requires specialized players such as Windows Media Player from Microsoft Corporation®, RealMedia Player from Real Networks®, or QuickTime from Apple Computer, Inc.®. However, these media systems do not offer opportunities for further customization as to how the user can interact with the broadcast signal, hence, once more limiting the user's overall experience with the media environment.
The need for personalization of user experiences is further compounded by the proliferation of portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, smart phones, gaming devices, media devices, and the like. These devices offer opportunities for personalization, but none offer mechanisms or processes for customization relative to broadcasts of video signals.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for customizing media experiences for users, particularly on portable devices, relative to transmissions of media, for example, from broadcast systems.